Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Omega Flex in Striking Down the State's Broad Liability Law and Vacating the Jury's Ruling in the Tincher Case

Published 4:05 PM ET Mon, 1 Dec 2014
Globe Newswire

Successful Appeal of the Tincher Ruling is the Company's Fifth Consecutive Legal Victory

CSST is the Safest Gas Piping Product in the U.S.; No Jury or Court Has Found Omega Flex's CSST Product to be Defective or Dangerous

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., Dec. 1, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Omega Flex, Inc. (Nasdaq:OFLX) today issued the following statement regarding the recent decision by The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to rule in favor of OmegaFlex and overturn the verdict in Tincher v. Omega Flex, Inc. The court overruled the existing strict liability standard and sent the case back to the trial court, ruling that the case law resulting in the jury's verdict in Tincher was incorrect.

"Pennsylvania's liability law was unique in the country and allowed product liability cases to proceed without proving that the product was "unreasonably dangerous," which is what happened to Omega Flex. In 2010, a jury found that Omega Flex was not negligent in the design of its TracPipe® CSST product. However, under Pennsylvania's old strict liability standard, the jury found against the Company, despite hearing no evidence to support a finding that the product was unreasonably dangerous. We are pleased with the state Supreme Court's ruling in favor of OmegaFlex and will take further action at the trial court level.

"This ruling is Omega Flex's fifth consecutive legal victory against trial attorneys and insurance companies making unfounded allegations about CSST's safety and performance. As this pattern of legal victories demonstrates, their allegations are based on unreliable and highly questionable arguments designed to promote their self-interested financial motives. CSST is the best and safest gas piping product on the market and its track record is second to none, with no proven deaths or injuries since it was introduced in the U.S. in 1989. CSST has been independently proven to be far more effective than its predecessor black iron pipe, which is prone to failures that result in numerous injuries and deaths each year. We will continue to vigorously defend ourselves – and our world class products – against the discredited claims about CSST."

Established in 1975, Omega Flex, Inc. is the pre-eminent international producer of flexible metallic piping products. With more than 200 patents registered worldwide, Omega Flex® supplies proprietary products for a broad number of applications and markets, which include primary steel production, semi-conductor, medical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, residential, residential and commercial construction, and power generation. Omega Flex®, TracPipe®, CounterStrike® and AutoFlare® are registered trademarks of Omega Flex, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information, visit www.omegaflex.com.